In a Dubai court, England’s former top commercial judge peers over his spectacles at lawyers arguing over a consignment of rubies. Sir Anthony Colman’s task is to decide the fate of the gemstones, which are part of a complex Dh16.78m ($4.6m, £3.2m) property imbroglio between two companies. A wall-mounted television screen shows the face of the judge, who once adjudicated shipping disputes in London but is now a part of the growing lawsuit culture in the brashest of the United Arab Emirates.
Sir Anthony’s case is part of an exotic mix of international litigation coming through the emirate’s nascent but ambitious court and arbitration system. Dubai – host today to an International Bar Association arbitration conference – is the most advanced of several Middle East centres that are trying to establish themselves as venues for legal fights between international companies. The push by the emirate and other regional jurisdictions such as Qatar is a challenge to western cities, including London, Paris and New York, that traditionally dominate the dispute resolution industry.
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